WOODHOUSE AND LEAF WIN AT DONINGTON PARK
Organiser: Dukeries MC When: October 13 Where: Donington Park, Leics Championships: EMAMC; ANEMMC; Jelf Motorsport.com Rally Championship Stages: 7 Starters: 79
Ian Woodhouse and Jason Leaf returned to rallying after an 18-month lay-off in their totally rebuilt Ford Escort to take a comfortable victory on the Dukeries Rally.
Graham Coffey/jon Atherton’s Ford Fiesta S2000 Turbo was their main challenger, having moved into second on SS2. After four wet stages Coffey was 1m13s down on Woodhouse and could only pull back nine seconds during a drying afternoon.
Dave Welch/steve Mcnulty’s Subaru Impreza reclaimed third on the final stage from Mike Taylor/martin Haggett’s Talbot Sunbeam Lotus, after Taylor had fought back from a grassy moment on stage four which dropped him to sixth.
Josh/tamsyn Davey’s
Darrian T90 had been second on the opener but a misfire and some lurid slides dropped them down to fifth. Then Martin Hodgson/tony Jones’ Escort
Mk2 recovered from a stage-one spin to demote them further.
Davey hit the chicane at Coppice Corner on the penultimate stage, which loosened his rear bodywork and it became detached before the finish. That forced them to start the final run without it as well as collect a 30-second penalty.
Davey still took fifth and won class 3, while an overshoot dropped Hodgson to sixth.
Dale/andrew Lawson’s MG ZR led class 1 all day as did Chris Ruck/steve Harris’s Vauxhall Corsa in class 2, despite the latter losing his power steering in the last couple of stages.
Results
1 Ian Woodhouse/jason Leaf (Ford Escort Mk2) 59m33s; 2 Graham Coffey/jon Atherton (Ford Fiesta S2000 Turbo) +1m04s; 3 Dave Welch/steve Mcnulty (Subaru Impreza); 4 Mike Taylor/martin Haggett
(Talbot Sunbeam Lotus); 5 Josh/tamsyn Davey
(Darrian T90); 6 Martin Hodgson/tony Jones (Escort Mk2); 7 Martin Pavier/peter Kettle (Impreza); 8 Roland Brown/stuart Brown (Escort Mk1); 9 Karl Simmons/ Mark Glennerster (Skoda Fabia R5); 10 Shaun Weston/ Dean Mevo (Escort Mk2).
Class winners: Dale/andrew Lawson (MG ZR); Chris Ruck/steve Harris (Vauxhall Corsa); Davey/davey; Woodhouse/leaf; Coffey/atherton.